The Dreaming Tree
by Alasia Moonstalker
Summary: Makoto has been in a waking coma for thousands of years, now she's awake. She's made friends with the z-senshi and she wants a family. | I'm not messing with any of the DBZ couples save one, and it's a bit different than my usual x-overs.
1. Crystal Valley

**The Dreaming Tree**   
_Chapter One: Crystal Valley_

It was an easy task for her, to run away as she was. She was running through fields, over mountains, lakes and through cities - all in her head. She kept an eyes on the world as it was now, as it shouldn't have been . Power was supposed to increase over time, but hers increased with the strength of the planet itself, that was the only draw back to being tied to closely to nature. However, at the end of the world's most recent ice age mankind had started over again, and technology was further along now than it had been before, yet more primitive in a lot of ways. She was not really paying attention to the advances of science, she was more interested on the well-being of the planet. 

She was a legendary soldier, one of the first true guardians of the Earth since the Silver Millenium, and she was trapped in an eternal slumber within a giant crytal in the center of a forest that loved her. It was always spring here, flowers grew, animals played, and she slept physically while mentally she flew, watching over what she should not have had to. She was thousands of years old, she should have died many many years ago, but being frozen inside this crystal to save her life and the planet's had frozen the rate at which she aged. Sure, Jovian's had a lifespan that was naturally much longer than any human's, but she should have died long ago. 

The earth however, would die should all of the Sailor Senshi perish, and that fact had been discovered after the senshi had began to defend thier kingdoms and fail. The other planets in this system were once again dormant, and the scientists of the world wouls never find the ruins of great kingdoms because they could not reach the surfaces of the planets. They could on the moon, but the ruins of the Moon Kingdom were on the dark side of the moon, and man wasn't ready to venture into that inky well of blackness. Jupiter protected itself through it's constant storms, the only indication of the former glorious warrior race was the Red Eye, which resided over the kingdom's capital city. The Red Eye was a focus for speculation and curiosity, but man was focused more on Venus, Mars and Mercury, hoping to inhabit the planets. 

She had had a lot of time to ponder this and decided not to bother, the atmospheres of the planets could not be altered into air, the planets naturally protected themselves to constantly be able to support the lives of their original inhabitants. They were all a bit different in their own ways, and she had always had a slightly harder time breathing on earth becuase the atmosphere was lacking a chemical that resided in that of Jupiter. 

Inwardly the woman sighed, there was always an enemy on the way. And the earth had it's own guardians known as the Z-senshi. She was particularly proud of this group, they overcame the obsticles of daily life and of alien threats and were still in better shape than any of the Sailors had been during any of their major battles - but then, the z-fighters never had to deal with youmas appearing all over the world before hand. Which was all the better, but the threats they dealt with were all extreem in their own ways, even if their power came from a different source than any of the enemies that the Jovian Queen had faced. 

What she hated to admit was that she was helpless in this crystal, and should it shatter she would go with it, and leave the green Jupiter Crytal unguarded. But her coffin had withstood the test of time, and it would take a lot of power to destroy this, but this most recent enemy had the power, much the the z-fighters, but unlike the z-fighters, their newest enemy had the intention to destory the planet and everything on it. If it weren't for the fact that the Kai's shielded her little corner of the world, she would have been discovered not long after the fight for the universe had been brought to earth. The Kai's were following orders from those higher up on the chain of universal command, since the people they took orders from were beings that became gods because of their deeds. Most of the current Powers happened to be people she had known for her entire existence as the princess of her planet. Her parents being two of them - the two that the greeks called Zues and Hera. The Romans called them Jupiter and Io. She was their daughter, Juno. 

That was the name humans had given her, but at one time she was Saoi a Dealan, the Warrior of Lightning, to her people, and to her friends she was Kino Makoto, chef extraordinarie. But in the end she was not only the Saoi a Dealan, but Queen of a lost people. When her race had been destroyed what was left of the Jovian fleet had feld to earth to become what humans called the Celts - but even the Celts had perished. Their legacy never did though. Their legacy lived on through the stone circles and the sculptures at easter isle. And she was proud of her people. 

In the end, she watched and waited. Waited for the time when she would be needed to protect the earth once again. The Kai's didn't know what they were protecting save for the Old Kai, who had been there when she was placed in that valley. He didn't want to pull out all the stops until there was nothing left to do, and currently, he was losing hope fast. She had been watching the battle and had winced in sympathy when Vegito was turned into a coffee flavoured sucker... She hated coffee, it was so gross. But that wasn't the point, when you have your heart crystal, dream mirror and star seed stolen you have a tendency to look at the world differently after having a part of you ripped from your body and then brutally placed back inside when your saved by friends. So, she had an inkling of what the fighter was feeling - not that she'd ever been turned into candy before. 

Now it was time to help, and that meant contacting the Old Kai in order to have him tell all of the other Kai's to drop their shields and wish the being they protected to be free from her prison. Which would be odd to all the Kai's save the North Kai. King Kai was a cute little blue guy with a wonderful sense of humor but a bad affinity for jokes. She had long since contacted him for company in her lonliness and he often cheered her up with his bad jokes. But that was not the point of her thoughts on the Kais. It was something else entirely. 

* 

_:Old Kai?:_

The Old Kai jumped into the air with a startled screech before clutching at his heart and sitting back down on the ground, taking deep breaths. "Don't do that!" 

_:Sorry.:_

Kaioshin stared at the Old Kai with eyes, wondering why he was talking to thin air. The sudden presence of a powerful being filled with good intention suddenly filled him and he watched the Old Kai carry on his side of the conversation in curiosity. 

"What is it?" 

_:Bring down the shields and wish me free.:_

"What?! We can't do that!" 

_:You can and you will. I only need one of the Kai's to wish me free, but all of you must lower the shields momentarily in order for the wish to reach me.:_

"We can't lower them! What about the Ginisouzou? Or the other Infinity Crystals?!" 

_:I said temporarily, not permanently, Old Kai.:_

"Oh, right. Fine. I'll do it, but only becuase it's come down to the universe's last chance." Old Kai grumbled before turning to Kaioshin. "Contact all the Kai's and have them lower their sheilds for a minute on Crystal Valley on earth. Tell North Kai to make a wish to go with it. After a minute have them put the shields back up." 

"But, Old Kai - " 

"Do it!" 

With wide eyes Kaioshin went to work on contacting all the other Kai's in the universe. On the Grand Kai's planet King Kai was stunned at the Supreme Kai's order, but did as he was told, spacing out so entirely that Krillan and Yaumcha were confused by his behaviour. King Kai placed all of his senses on the shields and lowered his. When he felt the others fall completely he made the wish and snapped his sheild back into place, it was followed closedly by all of the others. The age-old order to protect the valley was practically insticnt now, and all of the Kai's were unsettled at letting the valley's inhabitant (there was an inhabitant, something they hadn't known before) free. 

* 

_"I wish for Makoto to be free in order to protect the universe once again."_

When the wish reached her the crystal that encased her glowed brightly before opening. She steped from it, taking a deep breath into lungs that hadn't done so in an age. She was clad in a shimmery emerald green gown that clung to her form. It had a heart shaped neckline and a back that plunged down to reveal the small of her back in an oval. Two thin straps held the dress up and the darker material reached the floor and was slit op either side to reveal a paler material beneath that. An emerald green silk ribbon was tied around her neck and the Jupiter symbol glowed faintly on her forehead. Her long, wavy brunette hair was up in a top-knot tail, two thin locks loose before her ears, which were adorned with rose earrings. She took in a deep breath and looked about her clearing before she concentrated an a pair of white wings that shimmered with green erupted from her back and she took to the air. Flying over places she had only seen in her mind's eye before. 

It was obvious when she reached the battleground. The land was ravaged and devastated, and the ocean waited to swallow the loser. The young guardian of the earth was kneeling on the ground next to a man with a puppy in his arms, away from the battle. Majin Buu was floating in the air, hand outstreched as he laughed manically. Makoto landed next to Dende and green grass and tiny white flowers began to grow all around her. Dende stared up at her with wide eyes, knowing she was important, whoever she was. He was still new to the guardian of earth job, and had not been filled in on what exactly it was that he was protecting save the human race. 

She looked over at him and smiled, her voice coming out, softer than normal for disuse. "I feel the same way about coffee you guardian." 

A strange reddish tint colored his green skin and he smiled up at her bashfully as she returned it and looked back up at the sky. She sighed. "This is no good. It isn't right for two beings to be squashed into one small space like that. - in fact, it's horrible for five beings to be squashed into one body like that." 

She raised both hands and a green crystal appeared between them and she raised the stone above her. "Sued a Dealan, cluinn do m'garim, ceart so eucoir agus teasairg so rùm ceartaich mò ge ceart chaidh."(1) 

The jewel glowed faintly then a burst of green lightl erupted from it, leaping toward Majin Buu as the monster spun to look for the abrupt appearance of such power. His red-on-black eyes widened as the green energy enveloped him. He dropped the sucker/Vegito and it fell, glowing brightly before becoming Vegito and then seperating into Goku and Vegita. Buu screamed in anger and pain as Trunks seperated from him, followed closely by Goten. Picollo appeared next, and the Namekian immediately flew to stand next to the winged woman on the ground. Gohan appeared next, falling to the earth, unconcious as Buu screamed and stopped glowing. Picollo caught Makoto as she collapsed, the crystal dissapearing into her being. Buu was weaker than he had been, much weaker. Makoto couldn't destroy him with her power because her offensive power would do him no harm and most of her abilities were those of healing. So she had weakened Buu enough for the z-senshi to destroy him. 

And they did. Vegita growled in anger and charged Buu, attacking him furiously. Goku followed closely and Dende retrieved Gohan as Goten and Trunks landed near Picollo, who was kneeling on the ground, the unknown woman in his arms. Her wings had dissapeared and she looked like she'd passed out, which, technically, she had. Picollo wore a look of concern, for he knew who this woman was. She would most likely become a resident of the lookout once all this was over. 

"Who is she Picollo?" Goten asked curiously as he peered down at her. 

"An angel." 

"Really?" Trunks asked. "I thought angels were dead people." 

"No. She isn't literally an angel Trunks, she's basically the earth's human form." 

"Huh?" 

Picollo sighed. "The legends are vague, her kind have been wiped from the face of the planet and technically she's an alien. However, she is closely connected to the earth, which is alive or there wouldn't be animals or plants. She is basically what the spirit of the earth would have been as a human. If she dies, so does the planet." 

"Wow, she must be really important." Gohan said as he sat up rubbing his head. 

"She is." Picollo replied instantly. "The Kai's have guarded her since the begining of the last ice age. She is ages old and the last of the Sailor Senshi. It's not so much that she's the most powerful one, but she did survive the ulitmate battles. He power comes from a different source than ours, and therefore she doesn't fight the same way we do, with brute force and power. She's a bit more subtle than that." 

"How come we've never seen her before?" 

"You have. You know how Oak trees grow tall and strong wherever they are?" 

"Yeah." 

"Well, Oaks are from Jupiter - another planet - and the weather there is harsh. She is the Jovian princess and the oak is her eyes to the world. Through an oak she could look out and watch over the world. She knows who we are, she has since the begining." 

"Sounds important." Goku panted out as he landed next to his two sons. Vegita followed closely. "I think we should discuss her later. We should probably get the Dragon Balls and wish everyone back." 

Everyone stared at Goku as his bout of inteligence ended and he grinned at them. Picollo rolled his eyes inwardly. "Fine, collect the dragon balls. Meet us at the lookout. Dende, we're going." 

"Yes, sir." 

--------------------------------------------------- 

1. "Jewel of Lightning, hear my call, right this wrong and restore this place to what it once was." - approximately accurate scots-gaelic. One or two of the words may not be accurate as to inclination of what it's supposed to intone, but I tried. At least the spelling is completely accurate. ^_^ 


	2. Kino Makoto Chef Extraordinaire

**The Dreaming Tree**   
_Chapter Two: Kino Makoto - Chef Extraordinaire_

__

She slept for a while. She wasn't sure how long she slept, exactly, but she did. When she woke she woke in a bed with white sheets in a room of white marble, a balcony to her right, the doors open and a warm breeze blowing the white, gauzy curtains into the room. She wasn't in her gown anymore, but a pale green silk nightgown, her hair down. Her body must have changed her clothes when she'd been placed into a bed. She rose and pulled on a matching green silk robe, not bothering to tie it closed as she wrapped her arms around herself and moved out onto the balcony. There was a fountain of clear blue water and tall green trees and flowers with tiny yellow butterflies. A small black man that resembled a genie hummed happily as he worked in this garden. The sky was blue all around her, fluffy white clouds drifting by lazily. 

A grumble reached her ears and her cheeks reddened as she rubbed her stomach. She was hungry, and she didn't blame herself. She hadn't eaten more than an age, thank you. She turned and left her room, determined to find a kitchen. And she did. And she stared cooking. She cooked everything she could think of after changing into a pair of faded blue jeans and awhite shirt. By the time she was finshed she had a large group of men seated at the counter before her, mouths watering as she smiled calmly at them. Three women standing in the doorway looked rather amused at the mens' antics and Makoto motioned for them to sit as well. She placed two heaping plates before the two little boys before allowing the men to attack the food. She got a plate for herself and followed the other women from the room after dropping a kiss onto Goten and Trunks's heads. She had watched them from birth, and loved them both to no end. 

Once outside the four women sat around a table and began eating. The aqua haired woman spoke first. "I'm sorry, but what do we call you." 

"Oh!" Makoto exclaimed, looking surprised. "I am known as Kino Makoto by my friends." 

"Well, I'm Bulma and this is Chi Chi and she's Videl." the woman replied with a smile. 

"This food is excellent." Videl said with a smile. "Did you cook it all?" 

"Yes. When I had a life many thousands of years ago I was a five-star chef and owned my own resturant. Cooking is my passion." Makoto replied with a smile. 

"A perfect match for a Sayajin male - a woman that can cook and doesn't mind cooking large quantities!" Chi Chi exclaimed and they all laughed. "I noticed that you fed Goten and Trunks first?" 

"Oh, yes. I love children, especially those two. You see, for many, many years I've been in a sort of waking coma. I could watch over the earth but not interefere. When the fight was brought to earth I began watching all of you, and watching Gohan, and Goten and Trunks grow has been a wonderful experiance." 

"Are you a mother, Makoto?" Videl asked, curious. 

"Heavens no!" Makoto replied. "I never found the right man, and Jovian women can only become pregnant once every three years." 

"Jovian?" 

"Oh, right. I'm from another planet. Jupiter actually." 

"Jupiter can't hold life though." Bulma replied, looking really interested. 

"It can't now. Long, long ago it could, and it did. It was home to a warrior race called the Jovians. We were peaceful, but strong warriors, and we loved our planet. I am the heir to the throne, and the last of my kind. Though I have come to terms with that and all I really want now is to live." 

"What do you mean, just live?" Videl asked. 

"You try being locked in a giant crystal for thousands of years and tell me you wouldn't want to watch the clouds go by or the grass grow." Makoto replied. "Good morning Picollo."   


Picollo appeared at her side and he gave her a small smile. "Good morning Princess." 

"Please, call me Makoto, we are friends, are we not." 

"Yes." Picollo replied as Goten and Trunks appeared and sat down on either side of Makoto, instantly liking her and not knowing why. "I supposed you'll look for somewhere to live that is closer to the earth?" 

"Yes. I like growing things Picollo." Makoto replied, wrapping her arms around the two seven and eight-year-olds. "Especially this kind." 

Goten laughed and squirmed as she attacked his sides with her hand, Trunks immediately burst into laughter and she tickled him as well. The rest of the men appeared and watched as she stopped tickling them and they collapsed against her, breathing hard, gigglies erupting from them every now and then. She smiled down at them before looking back up at Picollo. "You know me." 

"Yes, I suppose I do." Picollo replied. "However, you will not find what you're looking for down there Makoto. No man on this earth could keep up with you or take all of your loving energy." 

Makoto beamed a smile at him. "I suppose. It's not my fault." 

"No, it isn't. You want a family, I understand that. You've wanted once since before Chibi-usa was born so long ago." Picollo replied with a sad smile, then turned to the rest of the group. "Everyone, this is Kino Makoto, or Princess Juno of Jupiter. Juno these are the z-fighters. Goku, Vegita, Gohan Krillan, Yaumcha, Chaou-su, and Teinshinan. That's Master Roshi and Mr. Popo is out in the garden." 

"Hello." Makoto said with a smile. "Call me Makoto, all my friends do." 


	3. Falling Stars

**The Dreaming Tree**   
_Chapter Three: Falling Stars_

Time was something that Makoto had an abundance of. It was also something she didn't really want to have an abundance of. She was old, really old, and she didn't really have anything to live for. However, her mind was kept off of this depressing fact by two small boys who constantly showed up on her front step wanting to play. She loved Trunks and Goten to no end, but how was she to keep up with them? They wanted to go swimming, or fishing, they wanted to look at the clouds, play hide and seek or tag. Today, they wanted to learn to make cookies. 

The lookout's kitchen was covered from top to bottom in flour and splatters of batter, and there were trayes lying about with cooked cookies on them, some burnt, some not. At the center island both boys stood on tall stools clad in aprons, cutting fun shapes out the sugar-cookie dough that was rolled out before them. Makoto sat in a chair with a small smile on her face as she placed cookies into jars for the boys to take home with them. Once the stress of being awake had calmed down she'd immediately given the lookout a more homey look, and was constantly in the kitchen making something or out with Trunks and Goten. They didn't leave time for her to be sad, and she was grateful. 

Picollo had begun to teach her the z-fighters's way of fighting, and she found the physical effort refreshing. She hadn't realized what bad shape she was in until she spent a day in the time chamber with Picollo. Now she was more dilligent to her training than she had been at first. Tonight however, she had the day off. There was a meteor shower going on that night and Makoto was determined to watch it. She had invited the other members of the z-team and Trunks and Goten were staying the night. That was the main reason for the cookies. Sayajin men had a tendency to be constantly hungry. Cookies after dinner would hold them off until they all went home. 

After dinner Makoto planned on setting out blankets on the lookout for them to sit on to watch the shower. Makoto planned on telling Trunks and Goten (and anyone else who listened) the story of the Silver Millenium. They would most likely believe that she made it up, but she was going to share memories with this group. The meteor shower proved a perfect backdrop for it. 

* 

"Goten, Trunks? Why don't you go get the cookies we made earlier?" Makoto asked a few hours later as she retrieved a pile of blankets. The two boys dashed off while Chi Chi, Bulma and Videl helped her lay out the blankets. Videl had been surprised when she'd been invited, and Chi Chi and Bulma thought that something like this was original and fun. It didn't involve fighting in any sense of the word and the world seemed so peaceful that night. 

Once everyone was settled on their respective blankets - Chi Chi and Goku, Bulma and Vegita, Gohan and Videl, Krillan, Eighteen and Marron, Tein and Choa-su shared a blanket while Yaumcha was forced to share with Master Roshi. Dende and Mr. Popo sat nearby and Makoto was lying on her back with Trunks and Goten snuggled into her sides. As the last of the day's dying light faded from the world and the stars twinkled overhead Goten spoke. 

"Mako-chan? Will you tell us a story? You promised!" 

Makoto laughed a little. "Of course. Now, where to begin. Right, it was a night just like this one, the sky was clear and twinkling with stars - only this story begins many, many years ago, on the moon. You see, there was once a grand kingdom on the moon, made of silver. The Moon Kingdom was the leader of an alliance of all the kingdoms in the sloar system, and the alliance was called the Silver Millenium. The Silver Millenium was ruled by a fair queen who was just and kind - " 

"Queen?" Vegita snorted. Bulma smacked his arm. 

" Yes a queen. Queen Selenity had a daughter, Serenity, called Usagi by her friends. Now, on this night there was a ball taking place, it was the princess's fifteenth birthday, and that night she would meet the man of her dreams. She was betrothed to a prince called Endymon, who was the crown prince of Earth, the only planet in the Solar System that was not a member of the Silver Millenium..." 

* 

Picollo listened as Makoto wove her spell of love and friendship. As the stars streaked across the sky overhead she told the group of Usagi, of Minako, Ami, Rei and the outers. Tale after tale she spun a web of intracate stories that would eventually come crashing down around them. The magic was woven, keeping even Vegita enraptured with this tale of love and betrayed. Of joy and death. 

She herself seemed to have come out of a storybook herself. Telling the z-fighters about the Silver Milennium, much less her own story as the princess of Jupiter, allowed them into the secret places in her heart. Until now Picollo hadn't been sure if she was ready to start life again without the other Sailor Senshi, but she was. He supposed that spending a year in the time chamber helped as well. She had had a lot of time to consider what she was going to do when she got out of the never-ending room, and she had chosen to make a life out of the situation she found herself in. 

Watching her as she described her past to the two little boys on either of her arms from where he sat under a nearby palm tree caused Picollo to reaize that, even though she'd only been with them for four days, she had wormed her way into the hearts of everyone who lived on the lookout, two small demi- sayajins and was working on the rest of them. She'd somehow found a nook in his cold heart to fit herself into. He didn't mind though, sure she was weak, startlingly so. She had once been a warrior, a very powerful one, but her kind of fighting, the magical kind of fighting had died long ago when Chaos had returned from the depths of hell and destroyed the Neo-Silver Millenium, leaving Makoto on her own, wounded and locked in a crystal. 

Another small thing he noticed was how much she adored Trunks and Goten. She would have been such a wonderful mother should she have been given the chance, and the thought that she never had something she so obviously wanted hurt not only her, but anyone who watched. It was painful for Dende, Picollo or Mr. Popo to watch as she became best friends with Trunks and Goten, even if it left such a happy feeling on the air. It hurt her that the two boys weren't actually her's, and Picollo saw that. 

"On Princess Serenity's seventeenth birthday there was to be another ball, but that night did not go as planned. With the Jovian fleet missing the Moon Kingdom's defenses were weaker than they normally would, and Metallia and Beryl struck. The Sailor Senshi led their warriors in a fierce battle, but in the end they fell. Endymon faced Beryl to protect Serenity and fell, and Serenity, unwilling to live without her beloved took his sword and plunged it into her heart. The Queen was devastated, so in a last attack she took the ginishouzou and sealed Beryl and Metallia into exile, sending her daughter, her prince and the Senshi into the future of earth to be reborn, so that they could once again have the cance at happy lives." Makoto finished the tale of the Silver Millenium as the last of the metors flew through the atmosphere of the planet. 

"What happens next?" Trunks asked. "After they get reborn?" 

"Yes, what happens to Serenity and Endymon?" Videl asked, stars in her eyes. 

Makoto smiled. "That is another story altogether, and one we should save for later, because it's a long one, and it's really late." 

"But Mako..." Trunks and Goten whined. 

"No buts. It's time for little boys to be in bed." Makoto replied as the z-team began to gather their things and head home. Chi Chi and Bulma said goodbye to the two demi-sayajins and soon everyone was gone. Goten and Trunks were both really tired, even if they didn't want to admit it. Makoto rose, Goten in her arms and Picollo appeared next to her, stooping to pick up Trunks. He followed her to they would be using and they tucked them into the over-sized bed. Makoto then moved to her room and changed into her nighgown and robe, moving out onto her balcony to watch the stars a bit more. 

"Are you alright Makoto?" Picollo asked, floating up to the balcony to stand next to her. 

"I'll be okay. Memories like those are hard to remember." Makoto replied, smiling slightly at him. 

"Yes, but they are memories that spin quite the magical tale." 

"Yes, but none of them know that they're _my _memories, not just a story from a book." She replied softly. 

"I know." Picollo said, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "But you are allowing yourself to move on in life by remember and sharing the past. Tales like these need to be told." 

"But it hurts, Picollo." 

"I know it does." 


	4. Water Sports

**The Dreaming Tree**   
_Chapter Four: Water Sports_

Makoto had quite honestly not expected Picollo to be such a comfort to her as she remember things she loved so dearly. He was so distant that his willingness to show concern for her was stunning. She relished the fact that he cared enough to bring himself out of his shell for her. He was a storng warrior, and he taught her things she had never known before, and things she'd forgotten. As time went on he taught her to live again with the help of Goten and Trunks, who seemed to be around constantly. 

Shortly after the meteor shower she found herself at a lake with Goten, Trunks, Gohan and Videl. They were to spend the day by the lake swimming and playing. Makoto found it refreshing to not have to worry about a youma jumping out to spontaneously attack a crowded mall or movie theater. Instead she had spent two weeks on the earth with nothing to worry about. She was happy to lay where she was on her towel in her modest emerald green one-piece, her hair loose and over one shoulder as she lay on her stomach sunning as the boys played in the lake. Videl sat nearby in a blue bathing suit, sunglasses over her eyes and a magazine in her lap. 

"Mako?" 

"What is it Videl?" 

"How do you tell when you're in love, really in love?" 

Makoto rose up and rested the wieght of her upper body on her forearms and looked over at Videl. "There are a lot of ways to tell if you're in love. It's sort of hard to describe, but what I can say is that you don't want to go one moment without that certain someone with you. That you'd do anything for them, that being hurt by them is better than not getting any regignition from them at all. That you feel safe and loved when their arms are around you." 

"Wow." Videl said, her sunglasses sliding down the end of her nose. "Are you in love Mako?" 

"Not that I'm aware of. If your asking if I love, yes I do. But I'm not _in _love." Makoto replied, watching Videl's face for expression. "I love Goten and Trunks as if they were my own. I love Gohan and you as brother and sister. I love Goku, Chi Chi and the other as friends and Mr. Popo and King Kai as friends as well. I love Dende almost like he were my son, so yes, I love." 

"But there isn't a special someone or anything?" Videl asked curiously. 

Makoto blushed slightly. "No, not really." 

"Wait, you're blushing!" Videl exclaimed. "Who is it?" 

"It's not love, I haven't known him long enough to be in love with him, but I do care a lot about him." Makoto replied. "Why all the sudden questions on love?" 

It was Videl's turn to go bright red. "Well, I think that I'm in love with Gohan." 

"Really?! That's wonderful!" Makoto exclaimed as she sat up and looked out over the lake as Goten and Trunks teamed up on Gohan. "Chi Chi and Goku love you as a daughter and Gohan is definately in love with you." 

"Really?" 

"Yes, he is." Makoto replied, rising and offering the younger woman a hand. "Come on, let's show these boys what a real water fight is." 

Videl grinned and took Makoto's hand, allowing the tall brunette to pull her to her feet. She dropped her sunglasses on her towel and followed Makoto down the shoreline and into the water where Makoto promptly picked up Trunks and threw him into a deeper area of the lake. As he surfaced, sputtering, Videl launched herself at Gohan's back, taking him by surprise and causing him to loose his footing and fall below the lake's surface. Goten was treading water a few feet away, laughing, Makoto turned to him, eyes narrowed before she dunked him as well. He surfaced, spitting out water and traded a look with Trunks before they both launched themselves at the Jovian, who went down laughing. 

* 

Trunks opened the sliding glass door that led from the back patio to the living room of Capsule Corps and ran through the room, laughing, his towel tied around his neck like a cape. Makoto followed, a smile on her face. She wore cut-off blue jean shorts over her suit, the waist cut off so that they hung open. Her sunglasses rested over her emerald eyes and she followed the enthusiastic eight-year-old into the house. A large white and yellow striped beach bag was slung over one shoulder, a white towel potruding from it as she followed Trunks into the kitchen. 

Bulma stood at the counter cutting vegitables for a salad when her son ran in and jumped into a chair at the table. "Did you have fun?" 

"Yeah! The best!" Trunks exclaimed. 

Bulma laughed at his enthusiasm and smiled over at Makoto. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble." 

"Not at all." Makoto replied with a smile, picking up a tomato wedge and taking a bite out of it. "It was fun, and very educational." 

"Oh really?" Bulma said, raising a brow as she picked up her cutting board and pushed the tomatos into the bowl of lettuce and carrots. "Trunks, why don't you go take a bath and get changed for dinner, okay?" 

"'Kay." 

Bulma turned back to Makoto. "How so?" 

"Videl asked me what it felt like to be in love." 

"What? So she's finally figured out that she's in love with Gohan, hmm?" 

"Yes." Makoto replied, sitting down on one of the barstools lined up along the counter. "She is. She's a bit nervous, but I assured her that Gohan is smitten with her and life will move on." 

Bumla smiled. "And what about you? Have you found someone yet?" 

"No! I haven't even gone house-hunting yet!" Makoto exclaimed. 

"Of course you haven't, you love living on that lookout with two Nameks and a cute, pudgy gardener, that's what." Bulma replied, pointing her knife briefly at Makoto before returning to her chopping. "I don't think you'd survive without them, and they've come to depend on you. I've never seen a Namek eat, but with you about they do. They don't need to, but they do." 

"True." 

"Anyway, how are the little buggers anyway." 

Makoto smiled. "My boys are fine, Bulma." 

"Your boys?" Makoto blushed a bit and Bulma laughed. 

"They grow on you after a while - like a fungus." 

That made Bulma burst out laughing before she turned the topic of conversation a bit. "I'm sure you do. Vegita's like that, only he's more of a parasite... Anyway, would you be interested in a date?" 

"Like, a blind date?" Bulma nodded, Makoto groaned. "Bulma!" 

"Oh, come on! He's a great guy. He's English and plays football." 

Makoto rolled her eyes. "I hope you don't mean american football because there's a difference between American football and British football." 

"There is?" 

"Football is soccer in Britain, and it's a really brutal game." 

"You're kidding?" Bluma laughed, then shrugged. "Oh well, I don't suppose you'd be willing to go." 

"I'll think about it." 


	5. Enter The Villan

**The Dreaming Tree**   
_Chapter Five: Enter The Villan_

__

In the end Makoto refused to allow Bulma to play matchmaker. The Jovian was perfectly happy as she was - well, not perfectly happy, but preety close to it. She wanted to find love or whatever one wanted to call it, but she wasn't particularly in a rush to go out looking for it. She remained on the lookout, and soon the clear nights of good dreams and happy mornings came to an end. Makoto began to dream, and they weren't happy dreams. They were nightmares filled with vile intentions and death. 

On this night she lay in her bed, the blanket tossed carelessly aside, the white sheets tangled around her form as her head tossed from side to side and her fists clenched at the white linen. A cool breeze swept in from the open balcony, cooling sweat soaked skin and causing her to shiver as she mumbled incoherently. Outside the window, a sky that had been clear and twinkling with stars began to cloud over and the world became clouded with angry black clouds. Thunder boomed and lit up the clouds that surrounded the lookout from below. 

On the edge of the lookout stood Dende, Picollo and Mr. Popo, all three of them staring down at the clouds as lightning streaked through them. There was something wrong, even Mr. Popo could feel it. There was torment and evil on the air, and Dende found himself shivering as the once warm breeze became a chilly wind. He wrapped his arms around himself as Picollo's eyes narrowed in concentration. His cloak whipped about him in the wind as he turned to stare up at Makoto's open balcony. 

_~ * Dream * ~___

_She was standing in a small room, inky blackness surrounding her. Before her was a table that was lit by a lumenescent sphere that floated about a foot above its surface. She took a step forward and looked into the sphere, seeing nothing but the brightness of its magic. A great burst of light erupted from it and suddenly she was standing in a bedroom in Capsule Corps. Turning she saw Bulma sprawled over the bed, blackened dried blood covering her and the sheets around her. Her big blue eyes stared lifelessly at the wall from where it hung over the side of the bed.___

_Another pulse of light and she was floating above Vegita's gravity chamber. Her arms flew up she shield her face as it suddenly imploded in a ball of flames and smoke. When the smoke cleared rubble was all that remained of the chamber, and the only visible part of Vegita was a bloodied arm.___

_Flash. Trunks and Goten playing in a field. One she recognized as the one they'd had a picnic in. Suddenly the sky blackened and a shadow appeared, and the two liitle boys were running away from the vaugely human shape. There were bloodied, and had obviously fought. In the end it was not enough as the shadow struck out at them.___

_Flash. Goku was standing over a fallen Chi Chi, their house in shambles behind them. She was bruised and broken, and fell as Gohan appeared, charging the shadow. He was struck back into the rubble of the place he called home, and there was nothing left.___

_Videl. Master Roshi. Krillan, Eighteen and Marron. Yaumcha. Picollo, Dende and Mr. Popo.___

_They all suffered similar fates. Hunted down by a shadow that she felt that she should know, but didn't recognize. In the end she watched as Chaou-su fell and Tien went into a rage over the loss of his fallen friend. He charged at the shadow as it laughed manically, and he soon found a the same fate as the others.___

_~ * End Dream * ~___

Makoto heaved up in her bed with a high, shill, terrified scream. She sat there, panting for breath as Picollo and Dende appeared on either side of her, wanting to know what was wrong. 

"Trunks... Goten... Bulma... All of them." She gasped. "Gohan, Krillan, Yaumcha... Even you." 

"What are you talking about?" Picollo demanded. 

Makoto clutched at her chest as she looked up at the man she had come to know as an older brother. With wide emerald eyes she spoke. "All of you. Gone. There was so much pain, so much fear. So much hate. The shadows destroyed so much. It hurts." 

"What hurts, Makoto?" Dende asked. She turned her terrified gaze to the young Namek. 

"Death." 

*__

"Why are we here again, and at this hour?" Chi Chi asked as Dende paced before them. He moved back and forth in front of the z-team, it seemed as though he would wear a hole in the floor of the lookout and fall out the bottom. He looked up at her with wide eyes. 

"Makoto had a nightmare. She demanded to see everyone." 

"Why? What happened in this nightmare to make her want to see all of us so early in the morning?" Eighteen asked. 

"Death." Everyone turned to Picollo, who walked to stand next to Dende before he finshed explaining. "She said something about shadows. All of you died in her dream, and apparently, it was a _very _vivid dream." 

"What?" Yaumcha said as Bulma gasped, a hand rising to her mouth in horror. 

"That strange thunder storm we had earlier. She created it. The nightmare scared her so badly that her terror transfered to this realm of conciousness." Picollo said carefully. "When she woke she babbling nonsense, then demanded to see all of you." 

"I'm sorry for waking all of you." Makoto's soft, shaken voice said from off to the side. Everyone turned and stared at her. She was extreemly pale, her robe pulled tightly around what looked to be thin, bony shoulders which normally looked so strong. She moved forward, her eyes scanning everyone as she sighed in relief, some of the fear fading from her eyes. She hugged Trunks and Goten as she moved through the group before she stopped. She took in a sharp breath before she launched herself at Tien, wrapping her arms around his neck as she sobbed into his shoulder. 

He looked rather startled, seeing as he hadn't really been around her much, but he returned her hug in an effort to calm her down. She was holding on to him like he was her only link to life, and she was mumbling incoherently about him being alright, and how she was so happy that he wasn't. That he shouldn't ever scare her like that again and that he had better watched the shadows from now on. It just proved to confuse him even more. 

When she pulled away she looked up at him with an emotion he didn't recognize in her eyes before she promptly smacked him across the face and yelled at him. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!!" 

Tein rubbed his sore cheek. "What'd I do?" 

She sighed and hugged him again before she turned to the rest of the group. "I'm sorry about this, but I don't usually dream. The only dreams I have have a tendency to come true. And if I'm right, there's something very bad coming." 

"Like what?" Vegita demanded. 

"Chaos." 


	6. Author's Note Please Read

Dear Readers~ 

Due to my most recent review (and longest by far on this or any other) I noticed that I have a made a few mistakes here and there and plan to rectify the situation. Please read and allow me to clarify a few things. 

1) Disclaimers, which I forgot and apologize for. DBZ belongs to its creator as does SM. I do not take credit for their creation and do not begin to even imagine what the limits of each character are. That is for Akira Toriyama and Naoko Takeuchi know, create and no one else should have that right or both shows would be royally screwed over. I did not create these characters, I did not decide their personalities their powers or anything about them, I'm just usuing them for this fic. 

2) The difference between the Sailor's and Z-fighter's powers are dully noted on my part. I happen to be a rather big fan of both shows and have taken into account that, though their styles of fighting are very different, either way the Z-fighters are and will always be much stronger than the scouts. The scouts are *_very* _weak compared to the z-senshi. 

Please note however, that this fic takes place thousands of years into the future of the SM universe and just after the Buu saga in DBZ, therefore that leaves a lot of room for growth on the part of Makoto/Sailor Jupiter. 

3) As for major-storyline plots concerning Picollo teaching Makoto to fight like the z-fighters do, I won't reveal anything because I'm picky like that. I will say that in the end there is a big showdown, and in the end, Makoto may or may not be a major player in it, she will not be the only player though. 

In concerns to the nightmare I had Makoto dream, I know that chaos couldn't possibly kill the z-warriors, but it is a dream and dreams have a tendency to bend reality. Also, it's a FAN-fic, not much more than that. I'm a bit stupid in respects of actually sticking to actual timelines, so I tend to consider all of my fanfiction alternate universes because I've inserted charas, or its a crossover. 

I understand that the z-team seems a bit stupified by Mako's story, but that's only because they thought she was making it up and then they're hit with the rest of it. Yes, they've fought worse things, but you try taking a story like that all at once and not be a bit stunned - especially if you believe that the person telling it is making it up in the begining. 

4) I don't pretend to be the all-knowing guru of these two universes, I've never seen every single episiode of either show that has ever been created. I've mostly only seen the dubbed versions and have an odd tendency to miss episodes. I don't know really what happens with the charas in DBZ past the buu saga, I know the basics, but nothing else of the storylines. 

5) Lastly I'd like to thank *_all*_ of my reviewers for their comments. I'd nearly forgotten how responsive the BDZ/SM readers are. So, thanks to all of you and to all of the people who may review this in the future. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

-- A. M. --   
  



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